Do you have a minimum size of job?

A single gable or a porch is still worth doing properly.

Can I get the roof done at the same time?

Yes, and the roof goes first so what comes off it does not land on clean walls.

Do you clean soffits and fascias?

They are in the same spray path, so they are done as part of the wall visit.

Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?

Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.

Do you clean chimney stacks?

Where they can be reached safely from a position that keeps us off the roof covering.

What if I only want the front done?

That is the most common request on this kind of job.

Is timber cladding treated the same way?

No. Cladding takes a weaker mix, and pressure is avoided entirely because it raises the grain.

Will the colour come back?

If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.

PL9 - Devon - 5.7 miles from PL3

Heybrook Bay wall cleaning without high pressure

If the walls on your Heybrook Bay property have gone patchy or green, the finish itself is usually sound. Small coastal community above the Great Mewstone, and growth on painted render and stone sits on the surface rather than in the structure.

Quote for a Heybrook Bay property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

What helps before we arrive

Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
Say if you would prefer the front done on a different day from the back.
Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
Say where the outside tap is, and whether it runs at any pressure.
Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.
Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
Tell us if there is a low wall or a step at the base of the elevation that gets slippery.

Wall build-ups common in PL9

Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
A rendered plinth takes more water than the face above it and is usually the first band to look tired.
Colour on a painted wall usually returns once the film on top is removed.
A weaker mix and a longer wait suits paint better than anything stronger and faster.
Cleaning stone reveals natural colour variation, which some owners expect to be uniform and it never is.
Copings on stone boundary walls take the worst of the weather and the worst of the growth.

Diagnosis before treatment

01Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
02Where the pattern is vertical and narrow, plumbing is looked at before chemistry is.
03Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
04Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
05Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
06Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.
07The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.
08Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.

Damp, airflow and what feeds growth

Where a wall was cleaned without a biocide, the regrowth is often patchier and faster than the original.
Hedging planted tight to a wall cuts airflow, and still air is the same as slow drying.
Soil banked above the damp course keeps the base of a wall permanently wet.
Wall growth often maps exactly to where a previous extension roof used to sit.
Bird activity along a gutter line concentrates nutrients on the wall directly below it.
A wall that never takes direct sun stays damp for hours after everything else has dried, and that extra time is the whole story.
Low winter sun never reaches the bottom third of a wall behind a fence, and it shows.
Silt washed down from the roof leaves a thin feeding layer on the render below.
Where a gutter joint weeps rather than pours, the stain is thin, vertical and very persistent.

Why order matters more than speed

Anything that involves opening a gutter is done before the ground beneath it is cleaned.

A wall treated in autumn goes into winter clean, which is when it matters most.

Booking services out of order is the commonest reason a clean seems not to have lasted.

Patio joints are checked before the wall above them is treated, since loose sand washes into puddles.

How a softwash visit runs

1.Painted elevations get a small test patch first, low down and out of sight, so failing paint is found deliberately rather than by accident.
2.Ground-level splash marks are worked separately from the main face, since they are silt rather than growth.
3.Rinsing, where it is needed at all, runs top down at a pressure you could hold your hand in front of.
4.Boundary walls and gate piers are treated in the same visit only if they take the same method as the house.
5.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.
6.Where a wall has been previously jet washed, the damaged band is treated at a reduced strength.
7.Where a porch roof sits mid-elevation, it is sheeted and its own tiles cleared before the wall above is touched.
8.Treatment goes on from the bottom of the elevation upwards, which stops clean streaks forming where liquid runs onto dry surface.
9.Expected rain is considered before application because the treatment needs suitable dwell time on the wall.
10.Beds and borders at the foot of the wall are soaked with clean water first, so any run-off arrives diluted.

Common questions about wall softwash

Do you have a minimum size of job?: A single gable or a porch is still worth doing properly.
Can I get the roof done at the same time?: Yes, and the roof goes first so what comes off it does not land on clean walls.
Do you clean soffits and fascias?: They are in the same spray path, so they are done as part of the wall visit.
Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?: Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.
Do you clean chimney stacks?: Where they can be reached safely from a position that keeps us off the roof covering.
What if I only want the front done?: That is the most common request on this kind of job.
Is timber cladding treated the same way?: No. Cladding takes a weaker mix, and pressure is avoided entirely because it raises the grain.
Will the colour come back?: If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.

Where Heybrook Bay sits on our round

Typical roof covering here is slate and concrete tile, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Postcode district: PL9. County: Devon. Approx 5.7 miles from the PL3 base.
Recorded character: coastal hamlet. Small coastal community above the Great Mewstone.
PL9 covers 8 town hubs and 8 villages or districts in our radius.
Access is usually via Wembury Road.

See everywhere we cover in PL9

Nearby villages and districts

Get it written down

Scope and price in writing before anything starts, so there is nothing to argue about afterwards.

Get a written price 07830 242403

In a sentence or two

Small jobs get the same sequence as large ones, just fewer elevations. Killing growth and removing growth are two different jobs, and only one of them lasts. Walls, gutters and roof are one system. Cleaning one and ignoring the others is why results disappoint. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.